TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - With Florida State University (FSU) students back in town, parking wars have started once again across campus, and despite complaints by students, the University says there are several tools available to help with the parking situation.
Students who drive can download the 'FSU Trans' app. It helps them know which lots are full and which parking garages still have space.
Another app, called 'Trans Loc', is geared towards students riding on the bus. It shows them the route the bus is taking in real time, so they can make sure they're getting to their classes on time.
FSU has issued about 20,000 parking permits this year, and there are a little over 11,000 student parking spots on campus.
However when it comes to parking woes, Matthew Inman, the Director of Transportation and Parking Services at FSU, says it's not about adding more parking, but finding alternative transportation options.
"To build a garage its about $16,000 per space," said Inman, "and a lot of our budget right now is dedicated to debt service. So we have the financial impact of building parking, but then there's always the space impact of it as well, and we're a relatively small campus for the size of our students body. So for us to take up space and build more parking that could have been green space that could have been a building is really challenging right now. So we're looking at all the different strategies that we have to get people to use other forms of transportation".
Inman wants to remind students, there's always open spaces to park at overflow lots, like the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
